Carmine
by CrystalMoonlightII
Summary: Audrey Belrose never had it easy. She's been used and thrown away more times than she can count. Over. And over. And over. It isn't until she meets a smooth-talking musician that things finally begin to change. And she soon learns that the two of them have more in common than she wants to admit. (A Relationship Problems prequel from Audrey's perspective.)
1. Family Problems

**So, the new Brooke reveal had me chomping at the bit to have a little story writing time for Audrey. I thought I'd develop her character a little more. That and why not show a little hint of the bond between her and Tiffany, too?  
**

 **This one works as a standalone but it'll do just fine as part of my wider series, too.**

* * *

 **Family Problems**

Didn't matter how hard Audrey tried to shake off Tiffany's curiosity. She kept on coming back. Time and time again. She was a caring friend, sure. It was the same with the smooth-talking singer she'd been seeing this past month, too. That's how all of them started out. Friends. Right until she let them closer. And then? Wham. They'd hit her where it hurt. They'd yank out her heart and stand all over it.

That was the good thing about plates of brownies and gallons of booze. You could swill 'em back 'n munch 'em down without a single care in the world - all because they'd never come back to bite you in the ass later. Didn't matter if you made an ass of yourself in the heat of the moment, either. It was so easy to forget.

Not like people. Never like people.

"I told you, Tiff. It's not a big deal. Fuck sake. Just drop it, aight? My dipshit of a dad 'n my idiot of an uncle are the last people you wanna worry about. How about we talk about the singer I'm seeing? I swear... dude goes down like a-"

Tiffany shook off her head and doubled down with that concerned routine of hers. Somewhere stuck between a plush doll and a sad puppy dog. She snapped up Audrey's hands and held them in hers. "No can do, sorry. Not until you tell me what's had you so... distant these past few weeks. I saw it, you know? The scowl you had when the limo pulled up outside Lusties?"

 _Great. Just great. She saw her._ Worse, it didn't look like Tiffany was going to let it slip, either.

"Tiff, please. It's no biggie, gurl. No biggie."

 _Play it cool, Audrey. Play it cool. You're the life of the party. There's not a thing in this fucked up world that'll ruin your day._

"You're lying," Tiffany doubled down with a knowing stare. Her blue eyes invaded Audrey's reddened rubies. "You always act like this when something's got your back up. Same as the time those jerks from the football team started spreading rumours."

 _She's not buying it. Fuck... why is she been so insistent?_

Audrey's usual choices weren't working. Cutting the conversation dead only made Tiffany twice as adamant. And trying to move the conversation onto something more worthwhile (like her new blond-haired green-eyed fuck piece) had fallen on stony ground. Shit. She'd not even mentioned his name.

And yet... Tiffany kept staring into her with those big blue eyes.

"Fine... fine. If this is the only way I'll get you to back off then fucking fine."

Audrey broke off their game of eye contact. There was no way she'd let the cheerleader stare into her over a shitty topic like this one.

"The bitch in the club? The whore more plastic than brains? That's my aunt. She's a complete fuckwad."

"Your aunt?" Tiffany gasped at the revelation. Audrey shivered at just how surprised she came across. "I didn't think you had any other family apart from your dad, and I know he's... not the best."

Sure, Tiffany was trying to be considerate, but her squishy attitude just pissed off the party girl even more. "I don't tell you everything," Audrey spat, her attention fixated upon the ripples in her coffee cup. "Long story short? One side of my family's loaded. The other half? Flat broke..."

Being this honest made Audrey's skin crawl, but if there was somebody worth an ounce of care and kindness (no matter how iffy it made her feel) it was Tiffany. They'd gone through school together. _'N if anyone knows how fucked up things can get at home... I guess it's you, Miss Perfect._

"I'm sorry," Tiffany sighed, setting aside her mug and bedding down on the dorm room floor with a sleeping bag. She gave Audrey an 'I'm here for you' smile. The redhead met her halfway - with one of her defiant hair flips. "It wasn't my place to pry... but someone around here needs to stop you and Nikki from burning yourselves out."

A teasing smirk. A roll of the eyes, too. Audrey had a reputation to uphold, even if Tiffany knew her better.

"You're gonna compare me to geekazoid? P-lease. Least I'll burn out in style. Not with six-packs of Beast Energy and mountains of discount chips."

Tiffany giggled. "Be nice. She's smarter than both of us and you know it."

"She needs to be, wearing sweaters like those."

The duo shared a laugh, but Tiffany was quick to return to the topic beforehand - eye on the ball as always.

"What do you have against her? Your aunt. You were perfectly fine until she turned up. I've never seen you fly off the handle like that."

Audrey didn't regret her overly emotional outburst or the abusive barrage she shelled out, either.

"Like I said, long story. And boring as shit. But-"

"Okay... okay. 'Suppose you can have the quick version, for old time's sake." That'd do fine for putting everything into shape, and it wouldn't be too bruising to relive with only a couple of special brownies left on the plate.

"Few years back there was talk of my uncle letting me stay with him. Guess he felt guilty over how his deadbeat piece 'a shit brother turned out after my ma left. I dunno. They talked it over and it was all set to happen, until Brooke weighed in with those silicone tits and threw in her two cents."

"Brooke?"

"My skank aunt's name, Tiff."

"Ah. Okay. You were saying?"

"Anyhow," Audrey swept up a brownie and wolfed it down - much needed Dutch courage. "I'm sat in the drive, all set to leave. Next thing I know, Uncle calls. Apparently he's 'Sorry to get my hopes up', but I'm 'already a grown woman' and I 'should be able to look after myself'. Told him to fuck himself after that. He still sends me a pretty hefty cheque once a year for my B-day, though. That always comes in handy."

Tiffany took a nervous sip of her coco and smiled weakly. She was never much good with tense topics. _Probably because they're too close to the wire._

"How do you know it was Brooke? Did your uncle tell you or-"

The brownies and vanilla vodka couldn't contain the searing anger Audrey felt in the pit of her stomach.

"Because Brooke gets every fucking thing she wants! All she's gotta do is whip out those plastic hooters of hers and flash some leg."

Audrey hissed through her teeth - fists clenched tight.

"Self-obsessed. Gold. Digging. Bitch."

The air was thick in the aftermath of Audrey's outburst. She found Tiffany (wilted like a flower) eyes wide out of concern - or maybe fear.

"Sorry, Tiffany." Audrey gave a mighty sigh and grabbed for the smokes from her frilly dress pocket. "Lemme light up. That'll help."

One cigarette became two. Two became three. Half the pack was gone before Audrey finally realized. Her throat was raw by the time she let up.

"That's better..."

The room was too quiet, but on the upside?

Audrey exhaled. "I feel chill. Been wanting to let that out since the other day," followed by a smile. "Guess you're prying helps sometimes, Little Miss Perfect."

The cheerleader pouted and folded her arms.

"I wish you'd stop calling me that..."

"You know you love me," Audrey winked. "We should do these little meet-ups more often. It's kinda like junior high, don't ya think?"

Tiffany picked up their empty cups and made for the kitchen in the corner of the room. The upside of having a dorm with en-suite.

"Except you weren't getting as drunk back then..."

Audrey waved off Tiffany's concern with a cool smile. "We've all got our vices."

And with that, it felt like the right time to move the conversation forward. "So," Audrey was ready for all of the new gossip. "What about this new guy you met on the football field?"

"Him?" Tiffany's cheeks lit up like fairground lights at Corkscrew Carnival. She almost dropped their mugs too. "W-Well. I knew him when I was little... but he doesn't remember me. He's as much of a sweetheart as I remember... but he's so much taller now. And gosh... handsome too. He's a musician-"

 _'Welcome to my life, fuckin V.I.P. I see I see you lookin' at me. Cuz I just got paaaaid. Lets get laid.'_

Speaking of hot pieces of ass, Audrey's awaited. She paused Tiffany's gooey-eyed blush-fest and flipped up the screen of her old-ass phone.

"Errrr yeah. Sup, Pretty Boy? Didn't think you were free until tomorrow. Drinks? You know it."

Drinks... and if he looked at her with those sexy green eyes of his, maybe a little more. Audrey hurried the conversation to a close and set her phone away. Tiffany picked up on her 'gotta bounce' vibe - but smiled for her all the same.

"I guess you're going to head out, aren't you?"

"Yeaaah," Audrey replied, scoffing down her last brownie and getting to her feet. "Free booze and a chance to shake my ass. You know what? Fuck it. You should come too. I bet you'd like the guy I'm seeing. Not bad looking. Name's M-"

"I can't. I have early classes in the morning with Miss Yumi. But maybe tomorrow night?"

"Totes, gurl," Audrey swept in to give her bestie a quick hug before making a beeline for the door. "Take it easy, aight? _Tomorrow._ You better not forget."

"Like you'll let me."

"Nope." And Audrey was out, giving her baddest smile on the way out of the door.

It wasn't until she was halfway down the hall that she dropped the surface-level shit and let herself enjoy a genuine twinge of gratitude.

"You're the best, Tiffany."

Sure, her home life was messy too. But there was nobody out there more dependable than Tiffany Maye. She was one of the few things out there Audrey could be happy about. She rolled her eyes at how stupid she'd been to close off about the fam situation, too.

"Of course I can trust her. She's as real as they come. Nobody's going to get in the way of that, either. Not a damn one."

 **End**

 **How did that go? It took me a couple of hours to put together so I hope it's good. Is anyone else hyped for the whole 'Brooke being in Huniepop 2' thing? It sure gave me some good ideas if we're talking story-wise.  
**

 **Anyway, keep on supporting Huniepop and Huniecam Studio. I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	2. Bruised

****Last night I came across the reveal for Ashley on Huniedev's Twitter and m**** ** ** ** **y plot brain started going into overdrive.**** She's an indie musician. ************Let's explore that concept, shall we? This is an origins story in more ways than one.  
********

 ** **Some of you may have also noticed that I've added this chapter to my previous 'Family Problems' chapter and changed things around. I've decided to draw some of Audrey's story snippets together to form a Redhead Prologue, showing things from her perspective.****

* * *

 **Bruised**

Men. Some of them were total assholes. But that didn't mean you wouldn't find a half-decent one now and again. Well, Audrey would've seen it that way if she'd had half as much luck up until now. Most guys? They tried to make out they didn't want her for what was between her legs. Oh yeah, they tried. But that didn't mean a single fucking one of them was convincing about it. She'd snapped up a few losers 'round the U.O.G campus since starting classes. And just about every single one of them had been the same.

First date - they'd start out nice enough. Maybe take her to a bar. She'd play 'em at their own games. Wiggle her ass some until they threw bank on a dozen rounds of drinks. Then she'd have the unlucky bastard take her to a cab and send her home. Most've of the dumb fucks thought they'd won a one-way ticket to Boneville. Nah. She wasn't that easy... even if she made most of the scrubs 'round town see her that way.

Rinse and repeat. Five. Six. Seven. Maybe ten times now. It'd become this shitty little cycle she'd grown to love 'n hate. And yet, through all of the bullshit, all of the false promise and dick-for-brains losers?

There'd been this one person that saw through her game. He'd played along, sure. But he'd seen through it. It was kinda annoying... but sweet at the same time. He never got too shit-faced and start pawing at her ass like a perv. He treated her half-decent - even gave her his coat when it rained the other night.

Blonde. Green eyes. A smooth face and a smile that gave Audrey warm shivers. The guy was a snappy dresser to boot. He didn't half-ass it like some of the jerk-off losers she'd hooked up with before. Always a smart-casual shirt and pants with perfectly shined shoes. And his voice? All he had to do was say 'Hi' and some of the more basic bitches melted.

Audrey sighed and leaned up against the bar.

Lusties Nightclub was in full-swing tonight. Dudes and dudettes swayed under the lights and the pounding bass. There was something about this place that a girl couldn't find anywhere else. The neon shades of red and blue. The heat of the LED's. It was the perfect foil to drown out the chaos Audrey kept finding whenever she stopped ticking over.

Chaos caused by a pile of shit like her dad. Then there was the two-faced snake, Brooke. Less of an aunt and more of a trophy for her lying sack of crap uncle. Audrey necked the last of her cocktail and slammed her fist against bar top for a refill. Was it any wonder that she had such a hard time letting people get close?

"C'mon Mikey. Where are you? You're late."

Audrey's cry for escape drowned underneath the music. What was with this annoying as fuck feeling she kept getting? Every time she felt like shit she'd end up thinking of that blond-haired, green-eyed idiot. And right now? He was a half-hour past the clock!

 _I swear, if he's fucking me around... we're through._

 _Great. Just great!_ Audrey felt the tension rising. Her shoulders stiffened. She still had to introduce this new flame to Tiffany. She'd look like a stupid fuck if after all of her promises to introduce this nameless lover, he ended up balls deep in someone else! Especially after she'd already burned her fucking V Card.

Jesus, did Audrey want to scream. The rising beat of the new track was just perfect for it. She could've let it all out when the song dropped and nobody would've known. But then... she ran the risk of everyone seeing her making an ass of herself.

Audrey reached for the smokes from her frilly dress pocket and gave a low, frustrated growl.

Image preservation prevailed where her patience failed.

"I need a cigarette."

Another half-hour. Fifty long drags spread across five cigs. Audrey felt her temper cooling. And it didn't take long for the dregs of her anger to be replaced with concern. There he was, her idiot, trudging up the sidewalk with his shirt buttons popped wide... and a bruised black eye. She rushed to meet him - scowl at the ready.

Didn't matter if she was worried. She couldn't let Mikey see that.

"And what the fuck happened to you?!" Audrey's hands fell to her hips for good measure. "An hour late! Do I look like I enjoy waiting around for your lazy ass to roll through?!"

"Sorry about that," Mikey chimed in - smile set to kill. "Had a small misunderstanding."

It didn't look small. If that bruise were any bigger then Mike's whole face would've swelled out. Audrey was... no stranger to bruises.

"Who put hands on you?"

Audrey did her best to make sure her concern didn't show through. The thought of somebody smacking around the best piece she'd had all year bothered her in ways she found... annoying.

"Nobody important," Mike brushed aside the issue and kept up that pretty boy act of his. He swept Audrey off her feet with a quick peck on the lips. She could've wriggled out of their hug, sure. But it was comforting. "I owe you a drink for being late." Mike took the lead. "Whatever you want. Least I can do."

 _Nope._ No way was Audrey going to start piling up a drink tab until she knew why the fuck Mike looked like someone's punching bag tonight.

"I'm not interested." Audrey rolled her eyes. She grabbed Mike by the arm and took command. "I'm done with Lusties tonight. We're going back to your place instead."

"Fine by me." Mike agreed, easy-going as always. That was one of the reasons he was worth keeping around. Always spontaneous. He'd switch up his plans at the snap of a finger. And that suited Audrey just fine. "Wouldn't mind someplace quieter than Lusties." Mike motioned toward his eye. "Headache and all."

The cab ride home gave Audrey plenty of opertunities to grill Mike on who'd smacked him around... but he'd dodged the question every single time. He always fucking managed to do that, somehow. He talked around questions better than her uncle... and Uncle Claude did that shit for a living! Especially when it came to Brooke.

* * *

It wasn't until Audrey had lubed up Mike with half a bottle of Jack and plenty of steaming hot kisses that he finally opened up.

"So," the redhead climbed atop of her mark and wrapped her legs around his back. No way was he talking his way out now. She stared him down to show she meant business. Red eyes had a way getting someone to sing to your tune if you used 'em right. "Who the ever-loving-fuck hit you? Last I checked, you work out. I don't see you taking it like a bitch..."

Mike's smile dropped some. He looked nervous.

"Long story."

That wasn't going to stop Audrey. She stole his lips in a sharp kiss. All the better for making Mike more talkative. "Let's hear it," she insisted. "Do I look like some braindead fucking skank to you?! If we're gonna keep gettin' crazy together like this then you better tell me. Now. Out with it."

Audrey shoved Mike against the arm of the couch. Aggressive? Yeah. Effective? Always.

Mike sighed. "You're so insistent."

"Better get used to it, Pretty Boy."

"Alright. Alright..."

Before long the pair were knotted together on the couch. They both shuffled around to get comfy. Audrey sprawled out across Mike's chest and purred like a cat. Wasn't often she got what she wanted... but if felt fucking great when she did.

Mike ran his hands across her red strands and smiled weakly.

"I had a roommate in college. About a year or so back. Greenville Community's co-ed. She was... pretty nice."

Audrey felt her blood bubble. _Oh no. Mike... if this is going where the fuck I think it is._

"Ashley. Ashley Rosemarry. We were kinda distant to begin with." Mike closed his eyes and laid his head against the leather. His smile was back, wider, fonder... and it was pissing Audrey off, big time.

"She was so cool and calm that it irked me, at first.. Always sprawled across the lounge floor in baggy tees and her panties. She never tidied up her mess. Towers of takeout noodle cartons stacked up beside the kitchenette. Day in. Day out. Half the time she never went to her classes, either."

Audrey stifled a growl through her teeth. "Then why are you so happy?"

"Because when Ash got off her butt and took things seriously... she was a firecracker. Once I found out her major was Musical Studies... we clicked."

Hearing Mike verbally finger-fuck this 'Ashley' hoe, whoever the fuck she was, pushed Audrey to the edge. She stared Mike dead in the eyes. "What does this have to do with your bruise?" And snarled out every single word. How clueless could you get?!

"A lot," Mike answered. From smiling to gloomy in the blink of an eye. _"_ We became joined at the hip. She was a guitarist. And a damn good one. We'd go everywhere together, whenever she felt like leaving the dorm. Classes, Music festivals on the east coast, and dive bar after dive bar. Then one night," Mike paused and sighed deeply. "She came up with the idea of forming a band... And that was that. We pooled money from my mom's recording contract and her modelling job to help us get started."

Alarm bells rang out. Audrey knew plenty when it came to fashion and the local modelling scene. _Ashley Rosemerry. That name sounds familiar now that I- Wait... hold the fucking phone!_

Audrey's eyes widened. "Ashley Rosemerry. The girl from Stay Black?! She's the bitch that smacked you in the face?!"

It wasn't surprising to hear that Mikey had bad blood with other girls. It was always the smooth-talkers that left a trail of broken hearts behind them. Audrey felt nervous. She'd let Mike get close enough already, closer than most ever hoped to reach. Was it all a stupid fucking mistake?

"Not quite. There's a lot more to it," Mike answered - not that it gave her any relief. "Ashley and I got things together and started Third Betrayal. She picked the name, and I brought few of my friends aboard for the ride. It was fine for the first six months... but a rift opened up. I shoud've seen it coming, really."

"Awwww! Did you hurt her feelings or something?" It felt nice sticking in the knife - especially if Audrey's competition was Ashley Rosemerry of all people. 'Lil Miss Chill. Girls like her made Audrey's skin crawl. They coasted through life and shit panned out for them. Barely twenty and she already had a pretty high-end modelling job.

Mike sighed, deeper and heavier than Audrey had ever heard before. His playboy smile was dead. He looked absolutely fucking miserable.

"I fucked up," Mike continued. "Jamie, our sound technician and drummer, didn't really get along with Ashley. She was the most chilled-out person of the group, and Jamie hated it. They kept clashing because she was always late for practice... amongst other things. It got worse over time, to the point where our manager had us talk it out. Didn't work. Ashley got tired of the raised voices pretty quickly. She was too grounded for the stress."

 _Fuck... I never knew you had such a sensitive side to you, Pretty Boy. I know a guy that's holding back his feelings when I see one.  
_

The last thing Audrey expected was for a black eye to reveal so much about the musician she was kinda dating. This was a whole new side to Mikey, beyond the sweet words and expensive outfits. She'd keep on listening - Insight would do the trick if she ever needed to cover her back against him in future.

"C'mon. Tell me more." Audrey waited for Mike carry on. And made damn sure to keep her true intentions hidden behind fluttering eyelashes and comforting cuddles. "You've got me curious."

Mike took a deep breath to steady himself. "The arguing kept on for weeks. The band almost broke up before we came to Glenberry. In the end? Ashley decided to walk. She quit, but not before asking me to come with her. It was a hard decision."

"What did you say?" Audrey asked. Now she was _very_ interested. "Girl as hot as her? You'd be real prick to go knocking her back."

"Why do you think there're only four of us on stage?" Mike answered with a scoff. "I've put everything on the line for Third Betrayal. It my chance. My only shot. I had two choices. Let Ashley leave, or watch the group fall apart. I did what I had to."

 _So that's how it is._ There was a very clear picture forming before Audrey's eyes. _Cold. Really cold._

"Kinda shitty, Mike, turning your back on a friend like that."

Mike closed his eyes and sighed. He hugged Audrey tightly, like she was his damn teddy bear. Part of her loved it. And part of her hated it, having heard some of his little story just now.

"Ashley doesn't hold it against anyone but Jamie. That's what she told me, at least - before packing her things and switching dorms. Not that I believe her. The way she dropped her bags and hugged me before leaving? It stung. She quit college not long after that. It's probably the reason she's a cover girl for Stay Black's magazine these days."

"It's always the cute ones with a skeleton in the closet," Audrey teased. Yeah, she was bitter. And no, she didn't care. "Must be fun on stage having all those braindead sluts cheering your name. Sounds to me like you pulled the rug from under poor Ashley's feet. It's hilarious. Stay Black's poster child-"

"I didn't," Mike interupted. "It's not as cut and dry as you're making it out, Audrey. We got along really well... and I should've looked out for her... I know that."

"'Course you do," Audrey rolled her eyes, "Why didn't you go with her if she meant so much?"

"Because I didn't feel like there was any other choice. Sometimes you can't win no matter what you do. Have you ever looked at someone and seen how talented they are in a second flat? I wasn't on the same level as Ashley..."

 _The worst reason ever_ , thought Audrey. Guys looked after their own. That was how the world worked. It was how it always worked. She gave a wicked little smirk, just to hammer the point home. If these were her friends, Nikki and Tiffany? Things never would've gotten so fucked up to begin with.

"Could've fooled me. You don't see how girls scream when you're on stage."

"Yeah, well." Mike's tone changed at tne snap of a finger. He wriggled his way off the couch a got to his feet, brushing down his pants. "People change. You didn't know me back then." He was cold, angry, even. "I didn't come all the way to Glenberry to have things blow up in my face."

"I made a choice," the singer's voice cracked and he sounded shaky as hell, "It wasn't great... And I'm sorry if you don't like my being friends with a model, but that's your fault. Not mine. I won't bother opening up to you anymore if you have such a huge problem."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Audrey went ahead, despite Mike fighting his corner. He was lucky - if it'd been her in Ashley's shoes then there would've been hell to pay. "I don't have a problem! Just fess up already. You pissed her off and she punched you!"

"Nah," Mike shook his head. "Ash didn't lay a finger on me. She was Downtown for a photo shoot around the same time I stopped by the recording studio to pick up a new promo CD. I bumped into her on my walk back to the parking lot. We caught up for a little while on the way back to her car... and she slipped in the rain. There you go. Answers. Are you happy now?"

"The stupid asshole fell and head-butted you? What're the odds?! You've gotta be shitting me."

"Nope," said Mike, stony and serious. "That's how it happened."

 _No... fucking... way!_ Audrey snorted. She didn't want to laugh... but it was just too funny! Not literal funny, but the piss-poor excuse kinda funny. If Mike's bullshit hadn't been so terrible then Audrey would've been vexed over the ride he was taking her on. "Not buying it, Winters."

"It's the truth," Mike doubled down. "You'll just have to take my word for it - and is it just me, or do you sound jealous as ever about this whole thing?"

"If I'm jealous then you're fucking deluded, Winters. Now," Audrey clamped down on Mike by the shoulders and refused to let go. "Why are you getting so gnarled up over this? Are you fucking Ashley or something? Be. Straight. With. Me."

One chance. That was all Mike was getting to come clean before she hightailed it outta there.

"I'm not doing anything. You're my girl. I promise you that!"

"Then why are you letting some discount lace model get to you?"

"Because I shouldn't have cast her aside like I did," Mike roared. Audrey shuddered as the blonde stood there with quivering eyes. He tried his best to hold back the emotion... but failed. It was the last thing Audrey expected, to see tears leak down his cheeks. Mike swept her into his arms and squeezed her in a tight hug. "I hate letting people down..."

"It's the truth, I swear. All I wanted to do was say sorry... but the words wouldn't come. A whole year and I couldn't even tell her that much. I was selfish... and yeah, sometimes I regret it. Not that you'd let regrets hold you back. You never doubt yourself, Audrey."

Is that what Mike really thought of her? He'd seen through her fun and games, but he'd still not found his way past the plastic smiles she showed on the surface. Audrey felt her stomach plummet like a stone. She leaned against Mike's chest and exhaled deeply.

"Y-Yeah. You know it. I don't see why you're letting one mistake get to you so bad. Fuck it. Live a little, Mike." They'd argued enough for tonight. And contrary to what Audrey let people think? She didn't get much of a kick outta that kinda shit. "I'll take your word, I guess. But you owe me big time. You know I hate squishy crap like this."

Mike chuckled softly and rested his head against Audrey's shoulder. He stayed there for a good long while. The room was quiet, peaceful, It was times like these that felt safe, special, even.

"Thanks for understanding, Audrey. You must get sick of me..."

The truth couldn't have been further away if Mike tried. Three months wasn't long when it came to a relationship. But it was the best three months Audrey could've asked for. So, for tonight? She'd keeping on being dishonest. With Mike. And with herself.

"Ohhhh yeah. You piss me off, alright."

* * *

That word again. Trust. It kept creeping up in the back of Audrey's mind. It'd been there all night long, just waiting for its chance.

 _Can I trust him?_ Audrey thought hard about all she'd heard. As she lay beside Mike in bed, she kept her eyes on him. He was fast asleep. His chest rose and fell in a gentle rhythm. He was clueless, oblivious to the whole damn world. It was then and there, when she was alone, that all of the nasty thoughts started crawling back.

 _I'm getting too close. And every time I do that? Some fuck goes and hurts me._

Audrey kissed Mike on the cheek and climbed out of bed. She dug out her discarded dress from under the laundry basket and fished for her cigarettes. Mikey had already thrown away one girlfriend, or whatever they fuck Ashley was supposed to have been.

What the hell stopped him from doing the same thing all over again?

How many girls had he thrown away before Ashley?

Too many questions spun around inside Audrey's head. She needed a smoke, maybe a dozen. A trip into the lounge was in order. Solace awaited on the couch, along with an ashtray and a big ass bottle of vodka. Turned out smoking and drinking yourself raw never got old at a time like this.

Audrey had to stay careful, guarded. Even if she didn't want to. Even if the truth left a terrible taste in her mouth.

 _We're too alike, Winters. You're your own worst enemy. It's why I keep you around._

 **To be continued?**

* * *

 **I don't really have much to say except that I'm particularly pleased with how this chapter came out. I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave some feedback and share your thoughts if you'd like.**

 **Keep on supporting Huniepop and Huniecam Studio, as always. I'll see you in the next chapter! Thanks again!**


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